Pump Up the Valium
by Anthrax Pixie
Summary: Vada was struck by a car over a year ago, and remains near comatose to this day. Why hasn't she awakened? Her sister uses the phrase caught between sleep and awake.
1. Chapter 1

**PUMP UP THE VALIUM**  
authored by Levi Marie

The rain beat a steady rhythm on the single, small window which cast an eerie glow into the dreary room. A flash of lightning streaked through the sky and momentarily lit the cramped quarters, the shadow of bars spreading out across the bare floor. This room was not a prison, as some had thought. The conditions were simply not right. The walls were painted a dull ivory, though no pictures or posters could be seen, and a plain oak desk sat in one corner. This desk had once been littered with the products of an imaginative mind. Drawings and paintings of make-believe worlds. Books that spoke of fantastic things not suitable for reality. And a smiling hand-made doll that had once been the only friend of an unremarkable person.

The desk was now empty, it's contents carefully packed away and forgotten.

On the other side of the room, placed just under the window, a nice sized bed stood. It easily dominated the tiny room, taking up most of the wall against which it rested and stretching out into the middle of the floor. Laying flat on top, tucked beneath the billowing white sheets, was the owner of this particular room. It was a girl named Vada. Too young to be an adult, too old to be a child. Her skin was pale, albeit not sickly so, and her long black hair splayed across the down-filled pillow. Eyes the colour of new emeralds stared up at the cracked ceiling, devoid of expression and seeing nothing but darkness. But Vada was not alone in her room. Another girl, considerably younger by all appearances, sat silently at the edge of the bed. She gazed almost longingly at her sister, secretly hoping, praying, for her to speak.

But Vada said nothing. Moved not an inch. Her sister heaved a great sigh.

It had happened well over a year ago. Vada had been struck by a car when her sister had ventured too far into the street. She had been hospitalized for several weeks and then sent home. Doctors said that she was fine. Her statistics were normal. No physical damage done. But Vada hadn't spoken since then. When she moved, she seemed to glide, more like a ghost than anything. She never blinked. Never closed her eyes. Her parents assumed it was some sort of mental trauma and had placed bars on Vada's window in case she happened to pitch a fit. Her sister used the phrase "caught in that place between sleep and awake," and scoffed at the idea that her sister may throw herself out of a window. If Vada had any opinions of her own, she spoke nothing of them.

The younger girl felt the sting of tears and brushed them angrily away. It was because of her that her sister was like this. If only she hadn't been playing in the street.. She bit down hard on her lower lip to stifle the scream that begged to burst fourth. It was best, she knew, to escape this room before she lost it completely. Before she did, however, she reached to her side and produced the doll that had, at one point, sat proudly on the desk in the corner. The doll was of a boy dressed all in green with bright orange hair, a cocky smile set forever on stitched lips. Vada had created the doll herself, fashioning it after her favourite fairy tale. Her parents had never understood her love for the story, and made quick work of stowing away all evidence of it after the accident. Her sister had rescued the doll from the box, and sat it beside Vada now in hopes that it may bring her around from her stupor. Blinking at the tears that now fell freely from sapphire eyes, her sister turned and fled the room.

As another bolt of lightning split the sky, slender fingers grasped gently at the doll's arm. Eyes never straying from the ceiling, Vada pulled the doll up and held it close, tucked lovingly under her arm. 


	2. Chapter 2

**PUMP UP THE VALIUM**  
Chapter 01 - The morning after

Vada woke up with the noon-day sun burning her face and two distinct notions. One was the feeling of nausea rolling around in her stomache, as if even the slightest movement would trigger projectile vomiting. She chose not to test this and lay perfectly still. The second notion was the sound of waves brushing against sand. Vada thought this odd for the simple fact that she lived nowhere near any body of water larger than a pool. She chanced movement, laying arms out to either side and running her fingers through the warm, rough sand beneath her. She concluded that she must be on a beach of some sorts. How she got there, however, she hadn't a clue.

Groaning pitifully, Vada forced herself up into a seated position. Her suspicions were confirmed with that first brief look around. White sandy shores that stretched on forever. Lush palm trees that grew taller than any man, bordering a thick, frightening-looking jungle. And a broad, beautiful ocean, the likes of which Vada had never seen before.

She groaned again and hunched over, heaving her lunch onto the beach.

As the retching gave way to dry coughing, Vada sat back up and wiped her chin. At least, she figured, it had calmed her stomache a bit. She pushed a pile of sand over the vomit to cover the smell and stood slowly. Her legs were shaky, but she felt no more like throwing up. She stood for several minutes, gazing silently out at the water and pondering how she got there. Had she been kidnapped? It was not impossible, but seemed improbable. Surely if she had been kidnapped, her attackers would not leave her stranded on some beach. That would kill the ransom deal.

And then she remembered the car.

Her sister had been playing in the street. Their parents often scolded her for doing so, but she never listened. Vada had seen the car and rushed out to push her sister away. She had been struck instead. And then.. she was here. It was a curious series of events, and it made little sense to Vada.

"Holy sh.. I'm dead aren't I?"

She gave a little shudder, startled by her own voice. Dead? Was that really what was going on here? Vada submitted that it was. There had been no white light at the end of a tunnel. No angel to guide her way. Just the honk of a car horn and now a beach. But there was no doubt about it. Vada was dead and this beach must be heaven. "Heaven is a silly place," Vada said with a shadow of a smile gracing her lips. "Beaches aren't paradise for everyone. I'd much rather just have a room with a writing desk."

Vada turned her back to the ocean and peered off into the jungle. If she was in heaven, if this beach was the entrance point for new arrivals, she supposed she would have to venture into the trees to find others. God, perhaps. Or maybe just her old dog, Scruffy. Whomever she was to meet, she took a deep breath and took her first step towards the trees..

..And stopped. For somewhere, somewhere close, she heard the tinkling of bells.


	3. Chapter 3

**PUMP UP THE VALIUM**  
Chapter 02 - Finding Life

Vada was still for what seemed like an eternity, her eyes gazing off into the trees as she strained to hear those bells. They had been so clear. So lovely! But then they had been silenced, and Vada soon began to think it had all just been her imagination. "I guess dying had some sort of weird effect on my brain," she said with a nervous giggle. She took a deep breath and trekked forward, breaching the line which seperated the sprawling beach from what she still assumed must be Heaven.

- - - - -

From her bedroom doorway, her sister watched as Vada drifted slowly down the hallway, her gaze fixated firmly on the floor. When she had reached the top of the staircase and began her descent into the main hall, the young girl rushed forward to be sure her eldest sister did not fall.

Her concern was without ground. Despite an apparent lack of concious thought, Vada maneuvered herself well and was soon wheeling around to the dining room. Her little sister breathed a sigh of relief and retreated back to her room. "Please be safe Vada, wherever you are," she whispered, and she closed her door to return to her own doings.

- - - - -

"Being dead isn't much fun at all, is it?" Vada muttered irritably as she flopped down onto a large rock and looked around her. She had walked for a very long time, and the scenery hadn't changed one bit. The labyrinth of trees had proven difficult to navigate; she had been past this very rock three times already! Not to mention she hadn't encountered a single person (or angel) since her arrival. "I wonder if this is some sort of test to gain entrance.."

Vada groaned and threw her head back. "Isn't there anybody here? I'm not sure I know what I should be doing!" she called to no one in particular. Anybody who would listen, she supposed, but nobody answered. "Please? Please somebody help me.." And now, although she tried to fight the urge, she folded into herself and cried. Tears of frustration and of confusion and of homesickness. These streamed down her face and fell to the ground, just water for the trees she was beginning to despise.

"Hey, you! Why're you crying like that?"

Vada leapt to her feet, surprised by a voice that wasn't her own. It did nothing to slake her fear, and the tears only fell in more numbers. "Who's there?" was what she wanted to say, but her throat closed up on her and only a whine came out.

"Huh? What's the matter? Don't tell me you're lost! You probably know this island better than I do!"

She spun where she stood, looking out among the trees and bushes. She could see no one, but the voice sounded very near. "Who are.. where.. what's going on!?" she finally managed to call out. From off to one side, she heard those beautiful bells again. Musical, but jingling in such a way that Vada fancied they sounded like laughter. Ha! Because, of course, her situation was just so funny!

"She's a weird one, alright.."

Vada swallowed hard and, ever so slowly, turned her gaze skyward. Hovering mere inches above her head was the figure of a person looking down at her, though this person's face was left obscured by the shadows of overhanging trees. And darting wildly over one shoulder was a shimmering light, the producer of that remarkable (and taunting) bell-like sound.

_Either I've finally found an angel, or I've gone completely mad_.. Her last thought as Vada's legs gave away and she fell to the ground, the bells fading into nothing as the darkness took over.


	4. Chapter 4

QUICK NOTE: I was flattered (& just a little disturbed by the content of) at the amount of feedback this story of mine has received in just it's few chapters, both from & through e-mail. I know updates have been few & far between (the reason of which being a heavy workload on top of personal matters), & I really do appreciate the interest this story has generated. Please do refrain from threatening my life if I don't update quickly enough, though. 

In response to an e-mail I've gotten recently (& I apologize that I've lost the name of the sender), I have no method of writing, nor do I have any set idea where I'm going with this. A professional way of writing is to make a list of characters & set up a timeline of events. I'm very unprofessional, & I more or less just write whatever comes to me. The idea for this particular story came when I noticed the usual trend in all Peter Pan movies & fiction: that the main child is whisked away by Peter himself &, in the end, their adventures make believers of all grown-ups. I rather liked the idea of someone going to Neverland in a peculiar manner, & never really being there to start with. As an interesting sidenote, I listen to the song "Second Star From the Right" on a loop while I'm writing these chapters as inspiration. Oh yeah, & this Peter is modeled after the Disneyish version, simply because I've not yet seen the newer release.

I purposely made this chapter longer to appease those who keep complaining that I write too many hangers. I really don't mean to, I swear! It's just my thing, I guess. This chapter won't be a hanger. I promise.

**PUMP UP THE VALIUM  
**Chapter 03 - Neverland

As darkness gave way to light and conciousness was regained, Vada became very aware of several voices chattering away around her. She opened her eyes slowly with a growing sensation of -- that feeling where you can only say it in French -- deja vu. _I feel like this has all happened before_.. She thought to herself.

What Vada didn't know, of course, was that something similar had indeed happened before. On some subconcious level, Vada was recalling the day of the accident. Laying flat on that hospital bed while the doctors came and went, each telling her parents the same old thing. _She's fine, just fine, perhaps some mild shock but she'll pull through, she'll pull through_. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Vada heard her parents whispering to each other and sobbing quietly.

She pushed herself up into a seated position and gasped so hard she nearly choked. The forest was gone, replaced by a small, circular room. Hammocks of varying sizes and colours hung from every wall, while filthy scraps of cloth and crudely made toys lay scattered on the dirt-ridden floor. Beneath herself was the only civil addition to an otherwise barbaric stead, a wide feather-filled bed covered in layers of what Vada guessed was an assortment of animal skins. The room was devoid of human life.

"Now I'm certain I heard people talking only a few moments ago," Vada said aloud, hoping someone might hear and answer. "And I'm getting awful tired of people around here making such noise and then running off." She swung her legs around and eased out of the bed. Eyes constantly shifting hither and thither, scanning for any signs of life, Vada continued warily, "I've a few simple questions I should like to have answered. Like where I am, for one. Because I don't assume I'm in Heaven anymore." She paused, and upon getting no response took to wandering the room and examining the oddities it held.

"I must be among mad people," Vada said softly, picking up a broken set of bows and arrows. "I suppose that's just as well. I feel as though I'm going quite mad myself."

She had only just thrown the weapon down when from the corner of one eye she noticed a shimmer of light. Vada turned to see a little hole carved into the wall, covered by nothing more then a leaf. The light within turned the leaf into a veil of sorts, through which Vada could make out the silhouette of some tiny winged creature.

_Doesn't that look like a small person! But that's absurd. People aren't that tiny, nor do they have wings_. Vada pondered this while moving closer to the lighted cubby, stepping softly so as not to frighten the little thing inside. As she drew ever closer, the faintest tinkling of bells resounded from the hole, and Vada stopped.

"So it was you!" She cried out without even realizing it. "You were laughing at me earlier, weren't you?" Vada had begun to think how mighty silly this sounded when, oh!, a tiny head poked out from behind the leaf. Smiling brightly, this miniature person gave a single nod and popped back into the hole. Vada frowned deeply and crossed her arms. "It wasn't as funny as you seem to think it was. Look at me! In a strange place talking to a.. well, whatever you are!"

The conversation (if ever it could be termed as such) was broken then by the sound of several doors opening all at once, followed by the howls of many people. Vada withheld her urge to shriek, but thought nothing of diving beneath the sprawling bed for safety. She waited and listened as feet came pounding into the room and, all at once, voices began calling to each other.

"Lookit, she's gone!" One voice said.

"Well she can't have gone far!" said another.

"We were gone but only a minute!" came yet a third.

Vada covered her mouth and prayed she didn't breath too loudly. Who knows what kind of people these are! She thought.

"Where did she go, Tink?"

_Now that voice sounds familiar_, Vada thought, and suddenly she remembered. It was the voice of that person floating over her head! _Of course people can't fly, so I must have been imagining things_.

From somewhere off, Vada couldn't tell quite where, the sound of bells came, excited and loud. Vada knew at once she had been betrayed by that winged creature, and silently cursed as two pairs of hands shot under the bed and grabbed her by the arms. Still unable to scream, she managed only a surprised "Oh!" as she was pulled out and hoisted to her feet.

Upon being released, she stumbled back a few steps, but caught her balance before toppling over. Vada felt her face grow red as she took her first look at her assailants. Children, for the most part, a whole crowd of them. Dressed in a queer fashion, all looking like little animals. Except the one..

Vada stared long and hard at the tallest of the group (although even he could not have been more than thirteen) with growing disbelief. The fiery red hair laid against a pale complexion. The simple green tunic over matching stockings. _Is that a knife at his side_? Surely it was a dagger, fatigued with time but still perfectly useable. "My, but you do look like.. No, no. That's impossible. It was only a fairy tale."

"Fairies don't have tails, at least not that I know of," the tallest boy said with a grin. He removed his feathered hat and gave an awkward bow, the other boys following soon after. When it was done and over he slapped the hat back on his head and whistled. "Lost boys! Fall in!"

Those dressed as animals saluted like soldiers and called off their names one by one. So distressed, Vada only managed to catch a few, and forgot even those mere seconds later. At last they were finished and the tallest stepped forward. "And I'm Peter. We've been waiting for you for a long time," he said casually.

Her head swimming, Vada was barely able to register it all. "H-hi.. I'm.. Vada?" She felt her face grow hotter what with all those eyes fixated solely on her. "Uhm.. May I ask.. where am I? And what do you mean you've been waiting for me? I've only just gotten here today, you see."

Peter looked puzzled for a moment, but his cheerful grin quickly resurfaced. "You're in Neverland, of course! Where else would you be? Me and the boys," he motioned excitedly at the animal boys, "we've been wondering when you'd show up! We've heard all of your stories." Here he bounded to a small shelf and began throwing out sheets of paper, the writing on which Vada recognized as her own. "Why, those are mine!" She said, more to herself than anyone else. Peter threw one last handful and stepped back. "They are! See, that's the one where the twins nearly got eaten by that crocodile, but I saved them."

"My sister loved that one," Vada replied absently as she slumped back on the bed. "I know!" Peter chuckled. "The look on her face after the fight! Oh, why didn't you bring her, too?" He turned to the other boys with his chest puffed out arrogantly. "She's a big fan of mine, too. Well, not very big, but big enough." The boys ooh'd and ahh'd, in complete awe of their leader.

Vada was silent through this, but her mind was drowning in questions. Among all of them, one rang louder than the rest. _I AM dreaming.. aren't I_?


End file.
